INCOSE Chapter 1

Systems Engineering

A transdisciplinary and integrative approach to enable the successful realization, use, and retirement of engineered systems using systems principles and concepts, and scientific, technological, and management methods.

Systems Thinking

A perspective that sharpens our awareness of wholes and how the parts with those wholes interrelate.

SE focuses on?

• Establishing, balancing, and integrating stakeholder’s goals, success, and required functionality.

• Establishing an appropriate life cycle model, approach and governance structure, consider levels of complexity.

• Generate and evaluate alternative solution concepts and architectures.

• Baselining and modelling requirements and selected solution architecture.

• Performing design synthesis and system verification and validation.

• Manage risk.

System

An arrangement of parts or elements that together exhibit behavior or meaning that the individual constituents do not.

System Architecture

Fundamental concepts or properties of an entity in its environment and governing principles for the realization and evolution of this entity and its related life cycle processes.

Attribute

Observable characteristic or property of the system represented by variables.

Variable

A symbol or name that represents an attribute.

Black Box

Representation of a system from an external view (no knowledge of individual system elements)

White Box

Representation of a system from an internal view ( knowledge of individual system elements)

Interfacing Systems

External systems that share an interface with the SOI

Interface

Defined point or mechanism where two or more system elements — whether internal or external — connect to exchange information, energy, materials, or other items.

Interoperating Systems

Interfacing systems that interface with the SOI in its operational environment to perform a common function that supports the SOI’s primary purpose.

Enabling Systems

External systems that facilitate the life cycle activities of the SOI but are not a direct element of the operational environment.

Incremental Approach

The incremental life cycle model approach involves breaking down the system delivery into smaller increments. Requirements are known, multiple iterations, potential multiple deployments.

Sequential Approach

The sequential life cycle model approach follows a linear progression of stages. Requirements are known, one iteration, no multiple deployments.

Evolutionary Approach

The evolutionary life cycle model approach involves breaking down the system delivery into smaller increments. Requirements are not known from the beginning and new ones arise with each incremental deployment.